To the Editor,
The recent candle light vigils held in our city for the victims of the Climate Emergency have been the spark for a province-wide vigil to be held on Monday, Dec. 13.
For many years we have thought of climate change as something in the future or something that affects someone else. The submerging of the Maldives due to rising sea level, dying coral reefs or melting permafrost come to mind. But as floods continue to wreak havoc in British Columbia, displacing whole communities, killing people in mudslides, drowning livestock, cutting off supply chains and causing food and gas shortages, it is obvious that we ourselves are in a climate emergency.
When we contemplate the breadth and depth of the accumulating climate tragedies—595 British Columbians, mostly seniors, killed during last summer’s heat dome and the destruction of Lytton by wildfire, to say nothing of countless other climate-related disasters around the world—there is a recognition of the need to stop and remember the victims. We must not just carry on as if nothing is happening. We must not just carry on as if there is nothing we can do. But as we acknowledge the suffering and grief, we also acknowledge the resilience of the communities. And we stand together in solidarity, in our response to the climate crisis.
Port Alberni, along with other communities across the province, will remember the victims of our climate disaster, at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 13 at the office of our MLA (3945 Johnston Road). People are invited to bring a candle or an LED light as well as any thoughts they wish to share. For information, call John Mayba at 250-723-2638.
John Mayba,
Port Alberni